


my heart is gold but my hand is cold

by sailing_ships



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes Makes New Friends, Bucky Barnes Returns, F/M, The Avengers Are Good Bros, The Avengers are a Happy Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-06
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-08-13 09:09:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7971145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sailing_ships/pseuds/sailing_ships
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Civil War, the Avengers find their way back together, with a new recruit in tow. This new recruit connects with the newly returned Bucky Barnes in a way no one else can. As this new recruit and the other Avengers help Bucky adjust to his new life he can't help but keep looking over his shoulder because something this good just can't last</p>
            </blockquote>





	my heart is gold but my hand is cold

**Author's Note:**

> Excited for you guys to read this. I just cant get over Bucky Barnes and the person he has become after everything he's gone through. Let me know what ya think.

This time she could hear her own scream echoing off the walls. It hadnt been this loud in a long time, she had never been so grateful that Stark had ingeniously sound proofed the walls in the new Avengers facility. As always, she padded down the dimly lit hall, passing Natasha's door and Steve's as well. The lights were out, not that she expected anything different, sometimes she just wanted someone to sit up with her. 

 

Lost in thought she stepped into the kitchen and saw a sliver of light glint off metal. She grabbed a gun out from under the counter before she took her next breath. She clicked the safety off, hoping her attacker would hear it, and back off. The response to this noise was a disgruntled hum. 

 

"Sweetheart, I'm not gonna hurt you, I'm here to see Steve." The voice said. She recognized it, but she still approached slowly with her gun held at ready. 

 

"Captain Rogers is asleep right now, considering its 4 a.m.. Come back at a more reasonable hour and I'm sure he'll be happy to see you." She spoke, the gun still leveled at her opponent, who's form was becoming clearer as her eyes adjusted. 

 

"Put the gun down. I'm not a threat to you." His voice was laced with exhaustion when he spoke. 

 

"And why should I tru-."

 

"You shouldn't trust me, but I won't do you harm, I don't do that anymore." 

 

She flipped the light switch on the wall next to her, illuminating the figure that sat at the table. Taking a step back, she absorbed the features of the man in front of her. 

 

He looked broken. His long hair covering his face, large blue eyes sunken in, and a dented metal arm resting haphazardly on the table. 

 

This was the man that Steve had talked about for so long. They knew he was alive, but Steve had stopped holding out hope that he would come back a long time ago. 

 

Tucking the cold metal of the gun into the waistband of her pants, she surveyed the ominous looking assassin as if she was searching for something. Obviously finding what she needed, she made her way to the fridge, and pulled out two bottles of water and half of a cheesecake from which she proceeded to separate two slices. 

 

"Was that you screaming." He inquired as if they were old friends. She visibly tensed. 

 

"How did you hear that?"

 

"Sounds just like-," he paused, "I've heard it before."

 

She nodded in response and approached the man with the bottle of water and cheesecake. No words were spoken in the dimly lit room as each devoured their respective cheesecake. When finished, she abruptly stood up and grabbed both plates to set them in the sink. 

 

The man broke the silence first. "I'm just here to see Steve, I don't want to cause any problems."

 

She nodded. "I guess I'll go wake him then." 

 

"No. I'll wait." At this she nodded again and in the dimly lit room, she could see the man force a small smile. It looked more like grimace. 

 

Curling up on the couch she flipped through the pages of a nearby book as the silence stretched on. 

 

"Mackey."

 

"What?" The man asked, surprised. 

 

"My name."

 

At that he nodded and replied. "Bucky." To which she smiled. "But I'm sure you knew that." His voice held a certain weight as he muttered those few words. 

 

So 4 a.m. ticked by, and 5 a.m. saw them in the same position. By 5:17, Bucky had made his way to one of the easy chairs adjacent to the couch. He sat in it, but did not look comfortable. At some point the gun found its way back to its original hiding place. Few words were said; Mackey asked Bucky if he was hurt, Bucky told her that only his metal arm was damaged. She promised she would get Stark to take a look at it. Nothing else was said. 

 

At 6:24 Mackey heard Steve moving around, and his door opening. His solid frame could be heard padding down the hall. And a strangled, "Buck?" was what alerted her that Steve had seen Bucky. With her back turned to Steve, Mackey saw Bucky stand up. She shut her book and stood up herself. 

 

"I guess I'll leave you two to it then." She said with a yawn. Bucky shook his head just enough for her to see. She felt a pang of something in her chest, pity for the broken man, hurt, the warmth of being needed, whatever it was she sat back down and returned to her book as Steve approached. 

 

"I've run out of money, assets. I didn't know where else to go. Steve. I'm sorry." 

 

Steve said nothing and Mackey looked up to find both men embracing. 

 

-

 

The rest of the day was a blur. Bucky was introduced to the Avengers, at least those he hadn't met yet. He was given a room in Stark tower and of course Banner insisted on a full physical. 

 

Mackey walked into Tony's lab as he was chatting Bucky's ear off, and tinkering with his metal arm. 

 

"Hey rockstar." Tony called out from where he was sitting. Mackey rolled her eyes at the nickname. 

 

"Tony, if you don't stop talking Bucky's gonna go deaf in that ear. Bucky chuckled at that and Tony scowled at her. 

 

"Well lucky for him, I'm finished." 

 

She laughed as Tony set his tools down. 

 

"What can I do you for Mack?" 

 

"My tac suit isn't really taking the weight." she said presenting him her tac suit with a large gash down the leg. 

 

"Well, well, someone's been busy. When did this happen?" Tony asked slightly amused. 

 

"Last weeks recon op didn't go as planned. Hostiles were present and they were fast. But they weren't strong." 

 

Tony nodded his head in understanding. "I'll see what I can do. I've got this new steel thread fabric. Lightweight, basically full body armor, but stealthier."

 

"Sounds perfect." She said exiting the lab. 

 

"Mack. Hold up. Strong arm here needs a tour of the place. Do you mind?"

 

Mack cracked a smile. "Not at all." 

 

Bucky thanked Tony as he exited the lab and met Mack in the hall, moving his repaired metal arm around. 

 

"Where to first Mack. Can I call you Mack?"

 

Mack nodded in response and gestured for Bucky to follow her. 

 

They made their way down a few halls, as Mack explained where everything was. After giving him the grand tour, Mack decided she had to show him one more spot. They took one long elevator ride up and they emerged on the roof. Mack stood at the edge and looked over, Bucky followed suit. They stood there in silence for a few minutes before Mack stepped to the other side of the roof and pulled out two lawn chairs from a small alcove. Bucky gave her a questioning look. 

 

"I come up here often. Great view, and I don't feel so trapped." 

 

Bucky helped Mack set up the chairs and they sat in silence again. 

 

Bucky broke the silence first. "I don't know how to put this, but why are you here?" His voice wasn't hostile, just curious. 

 

Mack forced a smile. "Three years ago I was on Shields radar. I was displaying 'capabilities' that made them nervous. But that also put me on Hydras radar." Out of the corner of her eye Mack saw Bucky wince. "I was on the run and one day I got into a bad situation. Like men trapping me in a dark alley bad. I was cornered but I won; I killed all three men. That's when Tony showed up. I threw a 50 pound cinderblock at him but he still convinced me to come back here with him. It took me weeks to recover, but when Bruce deemed me fit I started training with Nat, Clint and Steve. They assessed me, taught me everything they knew, and here I am. A 22 year old, part of a team of elite heroes. This is my life."

 

Bucky chuckled at that. "You never get used to it."

 

"You never do."

 

The silence stretched on again until Bucky broke it once more. 

 

"What exactly are your powers? If you don't mind."

 

"I was wondering when you'd ask that." Mack stood up and stretched. "Meet me in the gym in five?"

 

"Sure..." Bucky responded, confusion lacing his tone, but Mackey was already down the stairs. Bucky followed, and was in the gym and stretched by the time she got there. 

 

"And I thought I was the punctual one." Mackey joked. Bucky chuckled. He did that a lot. She was dead set on hearing his real laugh one day. "How much can you dead lift?" She asked nonchalantly. 

 

"Not sure. It's been a few years." He said with a smirk. "Why? Besides, you still haven't answered my question."

 

"Just try it." 

 

Bucky loaded the bar and lifted. "200 each side, plus the 40 pound bar, so 440?"

 

"And you didn't even break a sweat." Mackey remarked. 

 

"Your turn." 

 

Mackey nodded and loaded the bar. Bucky didn't get a good look at the weights she put on there. 

 

"So how much was that. With your training you could probably lift 250 right?" Bucky asked as he approached the weights after Mackey had set them down. He bent down and lifted a disk off as Mackey stepped back, taking a sip of water. 

 

"Shit." She heard him mutter under his breath. "Mackey, that's 250, each side. How is that even possible?"

 

"When I was found by SHIELD my senses were heightened, I was eating double the amount of the average adult male, and I could run a mile in under 5 minutes. That's just what I've always done. I thought it was normal. After I started training here, I realized how abnormal my abilities were, and I've been honing them ever since. So did I answer your question?"

 

Bucky stood in front of Mack, his face blank, a hundred pound weight still in his hand. He looked at her as if examining every piece of her. She felt vulnerable. 

 

Mackey jumped in surprise when Bucky let the weight clatter to the ground as a laugh bubbled out of him. It was big, and loud. It rolled over her. 

 

"What. What's so funny?" 

 

"I- you-." Bucky couldn't speak because he was laughing so hard. Mackey couldn't help but join in. 

 

Bucky finally caught his breath 10 minutes later and offered Mackey his hand. She stood up and faced him. A smile lit up his face. 

 

"I'm sorry. It's just so crazy. For the longest time I thought it was just me who's DNA had been toyed with to make me something no one else was. And decades later, here I am with you who can outlift me by over a hundred pounds, and you accept it as just a part of who you are. Maybe I'm not so crazy after all."

 

Mackey let a smile slowly spread across her face. She had gotten the great Winter Soldier to open up to her, and laugh. 

 

"Let's get out of this hot sweaty gym. I need a drink, and I know where Tony stashes the good stuff." Mack said, still grinning. 

 

As they boarded the elevator together Bucky turned to her. "So you threw a 50 pound cinderblock at Iron Man."

 

"Well yeah. What else was I supposed to do?" She exclaimed in humored exasperation. 

 

"So that's why he calls you rockstar!" And at that Bucky lost it again. 

 

Mackey really loved it when he smiled and laughed like that.


End file.
